Contents

Johnny is the son of Doris and Jack Tillotson, who owned a small service station on the corner of 6th and Pearl in Jacksonville, and acted as the station's mechanic. At the age of nine, Johnny was sent to Palatka, Florida,[1] to take care of his grandmother. He returned to Jacksonville each summer to be with his parents when his brother Dan would go to his grandmother. Johnny began to perform at local functions as a child, and by the time he was at Palatka Senior High School he had developed a reputation as a talented singer.[2] Tillotson became a semi-regular on TV-4's McDuff Hayride, hosted by Toby Dowdy, and soon landed his own show on
TV-12 WFGA-TV.[3] In 1957, while Tillotson was studying at the University of Florida, local disc jockey Bob Norris sent a tape of Johnny's singing to the Pet Milk talent contest, and was chosen as one of six National finalists. This gave Johnny the opportunity to perform in Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM the Grand Ole Opry, which led Lee Rosenberg, a Nashville publisher, to take a tape to Archie Bleyer, owner of the independent Cadence Records.[4] Bleyer signed Tillotson to a three-year contract, and issued his first single, "Dreamy Eyes" / "Well I'm Your Man" in September 1958. Both songs were written by Tillotson, and both made the Billboard Hot 100, "Dreamy Eyes" peaking at # 63. After graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Communications, Tillotson moved to New York City to pursue his music career.[1][2][5]

From late 1959, a succession of singles - "True True Happiness," "Why Do I Love You So," and a double-sided single covering the R&B hits "Earth Angel" and "Pledging My Love" - all reached the bottom half of the Hot 100. His biggest success came with his sixth single, the up-tempo "Poetry in Motion", written by Paul Kaufman and Mike Anthony, and recorded in Nashville with session musicians including saxophonist Boots Randolph and pianist Floyd Cramer, Released in September 1960, it went to # 2 on the Hot 100 in the US, and # 1 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1961. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA.[6] On Bleyer's advice, Tillotson focused on his recording career, also appearing on television and was featured as a teen idol in magazines. His follow-up record, "Jimmy's Girl," reached # 25 in the US charts and # 43 in the UK; after that, "Without You" returned him to the US Top Ten but failed to make the UK Singles Chart.[1] He toured widely with Dick Clark's Cavalcade Of Stars.[4]

Early in 1962, Tillotson recorded a song he wrote, "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'," inspired by the terminal illness of his father. It became one of his biggest hits, reaching #3 in the US pop chart, and was the first of his records to make the country music chart where it peaked at #4. It earned him his first Grammy nomination, for Best Country & Western Recording, and was covered by over 100 performers including Elvis Presley and Billy Joe Royal, whose version was a country hit in 1988.[2] Tillotson then recorded an album, It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin', on which he covered country standards including Hank Locklin's "Send Me the Pillow You Dream On" and Hank Williams' "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)," which also became hit singles. He continued to record country-flavored and pop songs in 1963, and "You Can Never Stop Me Loving You" and the follow-up, the Willie Nelson song "Funny How Time Slips Away," both made the Hot 100. He also appeared in the 1963 movie Just for Fun.[1]

With the demise of the Cadence label, he formed a production company and moved to MGM Records, starting with his version of the recent country charted No. 1 song by Ernest Ashworth, "Talk Back Trembling Lips," reached # 7 in January 1964 on Billboard's Hot 100. He earned his second Grammy nomination for "Heartaches by the Number," nominated for Best Vocal Performance of 1965, which reached No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. He also sang the theme song for the 1965 Sally Field television comedy Gidget. While his fortunes waned with changing musical tastes in the late 1960s, he continued to record before moving to California in 1968. Besides concert and recording he appeared in several films. He appeared in the 1966 camp comedyThe Fat Spy starring Jayne Mansfield, which was featured in the 2004 documentary The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (#46). He also appeared in Just for Fun, a British music film; the Japanese movie Namida Kun Sayonara, after his number 1 Japanese hit of the same name; and the made-for-TV The Call of the Wild.

In the early 1980s he charted briefly with "Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone" on Reward Records and it was during the 80s that his hits in South East Asia had him appear in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand on a regular basis with tours in Japan and Hong Kong. In 1990 he signed with Atlantic records and again charted briefly with "Bim Bam Boom."

In May 1991 his 22-year-old daughter Kelli was killed in a car accident which devastated Johnny as well as his surviving son and family.

Johnny recorded for charity in 1990s several Christmas songs with Freddy Cannon and Brian Hyland for the Children's Miracle network, produced by Michael Lloyd. "Come On A Sleigh Ride With Me" written by Michael is a new Christmas favorite. He also recorded with Tommy Roe and Brian Hyland, again for Michael Lloyd for Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer The Movie (1998), "We Can Make It."

After a decade-long absence in 2010, Tillotson released a single "Not Enough" which was a tribute to the Military, Police, Fire, and all uniformed personnel of the United States. It reached #1 on the indie country chart and the top 25 on the New Music weekly chart, and was a breakout single on the Music Row chart in Nashville. He continues to write and perform in concert.

1.
John Tillotson
–
John Tillotson was the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury from 1691 to 1694. Tillotson was the son of a Puritan clothier at Haughend, Sowerby, little is known of his early youth, he studied at Colne Grammar School, before entering as a pensioner of Clare Hall, Cambridge in 1647. His tutor was David Clarkson and he graduated in 1650, being made a fellow of his college in 1651, in 1656 Tillotson became tutor to the son of Edmund Prideaux, attorney-general to Oliver Cromwell. About 1661 he was ordained without subscription by Thomas Sydserf, a Scottish bishop, Tillotson was present at the Savoy Conference in 1661, and remained identified with the Presbyterians until the passing of the Act of Uniformity 1662. Shortly afterwards he became curate of Cheshunt, Herts, and in June 1663, rector of Kedington and he now devoted himself to an exact study of biblical and patristic Catholic writers, especially Basil and Chrysostom. Tillotson himself was personally tolerant enough towards Roman Catholics, remarking in a sermon that while Popery was gross superstition, yet Papists. He was a man of the world as well as a divine, in 1664 he became preacher at Lincolns Inn. The same year he married Elizabeth French, a niece of Oliver Cromwell, Tillotson employed his controversial weapons with some skill against atheism and Roman Catholicism. In 1663 he published a sermon on The Wisdom of being Religious. The same year he received the degree of D. D, in 1670 he became prebendary and in 1672 dean of Canterbury. That latter year he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1675 he edited John Wilkinss Principles of Natural Religion, completing what was left unfinished of it, along with Burnet, Tillotson attended William Russell, Lord Russell on the scaffold in 1683. In 1684, he wrote a Discourse against Transubstantiation and he possessed the special confidence of William and Mary, and was made clerk of the closet to the king in March 1689. It was chiefly through his advice that the king appointed a commission for the reconciliation of the Dissenters. In August of this year he was appointed by the chapter of his cathedral to exercise the jurisdiction of the province of Canterbury during the suspension of Sancroft. He was also about the time named Dean of St Pauls. Soon afterwards he was elected to succeed Sancroft as Bishop, but accepted the promotion with extreme reluctance and he died on 22 November 1694. For his manuscript sermons Tillotsons widow received 2500 guineas, ralph Barker edited some 250 of them together with the Rule of Faith

2.
Jacksonville, Florida
–
Jacksonville is a seaport city and the seat of Duval County, Florida, United States. With an estimated 868,031 residents as of 2015, Jacksonville is the most populous city in both the state of Florida and the southeastern United States. It is estimated to be the 12th most populous city in the United States and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Jacksonville metropolitan area has a population of 1,603,497 and is the 34th largest in the United States and fourth largest in the state of Florida. The city is situated on the banks of the St. Johns River, in the First Coast region of North Florida, prior to European settlement, the Jacksonville area was inhabited by Native American people known as the Timucua. In 1564, the French established the colony of Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River. In 1822, a year after the United States gained Florida from Spain, Jacksonville is the cultural, commercial and financial center of North Florida. A major military and civilian deep-water port, the citys riverine location supports two United States Navy bases and the Port of Jacksonville, Floridas third largest seaport. The two US Navy bases, Blount Island Command and the nearby Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Jacksonville is also home to several colleges and universities, including University of North Florida, Jacksonville University and Florida State College at Jacksonville. The area of the city of Jacksonville has been inhabited for thousands of years. In the 16th century, the beginning of the era, the region was inhabited by the Mocama. At the time of contact with Europeans, all Mocama villages in present-day Jacksonville were part of the powerful chiefdom known as the Saturiwa, centered around the mouth of the St. Johns River. One early map shows a village called Ossachite at the site of what is now downtown Jacksonville, French Huguenot explorer Jean Ribault charted the St. Johns River in 1562 calling it the River of May because he discovered it in May. Ribault erected a column near present-day Jacksonville claiming the newly discovered land for France. In 1564, René Goulaine de Laudonnière established the first European settlement, Fort Caroline, philip II of Spain ordered Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to protect the interest of Spain by attacking the French presence at Fort Caroline. On September 20,1565, a Spanish force from the nearby Spanish settlement of St. Augustine attacked Fort Caroline, the Spanish renamed the fort San Mateo, and following the ejection of the French, St. Augustines position as the most important settlement in Florida was solidified. The location of Fort Caroline is subject to debate but a reconstruction of the fort was established on the St. Johns River in 1964. Spain ceded Florida to the British in 1763 after the French and Indian War, the British introduced the cultivation of sugar cane, indigo and fruits as well the export of lumber

3.
Country music
–
Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the genre of United States, such as folk music. Blues modes have been used throughout its recorded history. The term country music is used today to many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of Europe and Africa along with them for nearly 300 years. Country music was introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon, Bristol, Tennessee, has been formally recognized by the U. S. Congress as the Birthplace of Country Music, based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. Prior to these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the early 1920s, with Atlantas music scene playing a role in launching countrys earliest recording artists. Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records in 1924, many hillbilly musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville, during the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Bob Wills was another musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a hot string band. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had played at Carnegie Hall. Gospel music remained a component of country music. It became known as honky tonk, and had its roots in Western swing and the music of Mexico. By the early 1950s a blend of Western swing, country boogie, rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres

4.
Pop music
–
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the United States and United Kingdom during the mid 1950s. The terms popular music and pop music are used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular. Pop and rock were synonymous terms until the late 1960s, when they were used in opposition from each other. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music. Pop music is eclectic, and often borrows elements from other such as urban, dance, rock, Latin. Identifying factors include generally short to medium-length songs written in a format, as well as the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes. David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop music as a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, according to Pete Seeger, pop music is professional music which draws upon both folk music and fine arts music. Although pop music is seen as just the singles charts, it is not the sum of all chart music, the music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical, jazz, rock, and novelty songs. Pop music, as a genre, is seen as existing and developing separately, pop music continuously evolves along with the terms definition. The term pop song was first recorded as being used in 1926, Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country, blues and hillbilly music. The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pops earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience. Since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the meaning of non-classical mus, usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as the Beatles. Grove Music Online also states that, in the early 1960s pop music competed terminologically with beat music, while in the USA its coverage overlapped with that of rock and roll. From about 1967, the term was used in opposition to the term rock music. Whereas rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of the possibilities of music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral. It is not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward, and, in musical terms, it is essentially conservative. It is, provided from on high rather than being made from below, pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged. The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment, the lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions

5.
Singing
–
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of sustained tonality, rhythm, and a variety of vocal techniques. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist, Singers perform music that can be sung with or without accompaniment by musical instruments. Singing is often done in an ensemble of musicians, such as a choir of singers or a band of instrumentalists, Singers may perform as soloists, or accompanied by anything from a single instrument up to a symphony orchestra or big band. Singing can be formal or informal, arranged or improvised and it may be done as a form of religious devotion, as a hobby, as a source of pleasure, comfort, or ritual, as part of music education, or as a profession. Excellence in singing requires time, dedication, instruction, and regular practice, if practice is done on a regular basis then the sounds can become more clear and strong. Professional singers usually build their careers around one specific genre, such as classical or rock. They typically take voice training provided by teachers or vocal coaches throughout their careers. Though these four mechanisms function independently, they are coordinated in the establishment of a vocal technique and are made to interact upon one another. During passive breathing, air is inhaled with the diaphragm while exhalation occurs without any effort, exhalation may be aided by the abdominal, internal intercostal and lower pelvis/pelvic muscles. Inhalation is aided by use of external intercostals, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles, the pitch is altered with the vocal cords. With the lips closed, this is called humming, humans have vocal folds which can loosen, tighten, or change their thickness, and over which breath can be transferred at varying pressures. The shape of the chest and neck, the position of the tongue, any one of these actions results in a change in pitch, volume, timbre, or tone of the sound produced. Sound also resonates within different parts of the body and an individuals size, Singers can also learn to project sound in certain ways so that it resonates better within their vocal tract. This is known as vocal resonation, another major influence on vocal sound and production is the function of the larynx which people can manipulate in different ways to produce different sounds. These different kinds of function are described as different kinds of vocal registers. The primary method for singers to accomplish this is through the use of the Singers Formant and it has also been shown that a more powerful voice may be achieved with a fatter and fluid-like vocal fold mucosa. The more pliable the mucosa, the more efficient the transfer of energy from the airflow to the vocal folds, Vocal registration refers to the system of vocal registers within the voice. A register in the voice is a series of tones, produced in the same vibratory pattern of the vocal folds

6.
Songwriter
–
A songwriter is an individual who writes the lyrics, melodies and chord progressions for songs, typically for a popular music genre such as rock or country music. A songwriter can also be called a composer, although the term tends to be used mainly for individuals from the classical music genre. The pressure from the industry to produce popular hits means that songwriting is often an activity for which the tasks are distributed between a number of people. For example, a songwriter who excels at writing lyrics might be paired with a songwriter with a gift for creating original melodies, pop songs may be written by group members from the band or by staff writers – songwriters directly employed by music publishers. Some songwriters serve as their own publishers, while others have outside publishers. The old-style apprenticeship approach to learning how to write songs is being supplemented by university degrees and college diplomas, a knowledge of modern music technology, songwriting elements and business skills are necessary requirements to make a songwriting career in the 2010s. Several music colleges offer songwriting diplomas and degrees with music business modules, the legal power to grant these permissions may be bought, sold or transferred. This is governed by international copyright law, song pitching can be done on a songwriters behalf by their publisher or independently using tip sheets like RowFax, the MusicRow publication and SongQuarters. Skills associated with song-writing include entrepreneurism and creativity, songwriters who sign an exclusive songwriting agreement with a publisher are called staff writers. In the Nashville country music scene, there is a staff writer culture where contracted writers work normal 9-to-5 hours at the publishing office and are paid a regular salary. This salary is in effect the writers draw, an advance on future earnings, the publisher owns the copyright of songs written during the term of the agreement for a designated period, after which the songwriter can reclaim the copyright. In an interview with HitQuarters, songwriter Dave Berg extolled the benefits of the set-up, unlike contracted writers, some staff writers operate as employees for their respective publishers. Under the terms of work for hire agreements, the compositions created are fully owned by the publisher. In Nashville, young writers are often encouraged to avoid these types of contracts. Staff writers are common across the industry, but without the more office-like working arrangements favored in Nashville. All the major publishers employ writers under contract, songwriter Allan Eshuijs described his staff writer contract at Universal Music Publishing as a starter deal. His success under the arrangement eventually allowed him to found his own publishing company, so that he could. keep as much as possible, songwriters are also often skilled musicians. In addition to selling their songs and musical concepts for other artists to sing, songwriters need to create a number of elements for a song

7.
London Records
–
London Records is a record label in the U. K. that marketed records in the U. S, Canada, and Latin America from 1947 to 1979 before becoming semi-independent. London arose from the split in ownership between the British and American branches of Decca Records, the American branch released British Decca records in the U. S. since it could not use the Decca name there. The label was noted for classical albums made in then state-of-the-art stereophonic sound, by the 1960s more licensing deals had been made with Big Top, Monument, Parrot, Philles, and Hi, and subsidiary labels were London Atlantic, London Dot and London Monument. An unusual feature was the code in the numbering system. From the late 1950s until 1973, the label bore the logo London American Recordings, in America, the label was best known as the American imprint of the pre–1971 recordings of the Rolling Stones. The label also issued some early LPs and singles by Texas-based band ZZ Top. In the late 1970s, London signed deals with Bomp, Records and with Big Sound in Connecticut, U. S. This changed the label in the eyes of many from a backwater into something a little more edgy compared to the pedestrian contemporary releases from parent company Decca, the president of London Records in the 1970s was D. H. Tollerbond. After British Decca was acquired by PolyGram in 1979, London followed an independent course with subsidiary labels such as Slash, Pete Tongs Essential Records. The name is used, mainly for UK-based artists. Notable artists released by that incarnation of London, called London Records 90, include New Order, Happy Mondays, A, after PolyGram took over British Decca, classical-music albums recorded by British Decca continued to be released on the London label in the U. S. S. The London pop music catalogue owned by Universal Music is now managed by Polydor Records, Decca Records had a recording studio in Blomfield Road, West London, there may have been another in Londons West End. In 2010, Universal Music reclaimed ownership of the London Records trademark, both had started their careers at London Records in the Ames era in the 1990s. When Nick Raphael became president of Capitol Recordss UK division in 2013, London Records moved there, Arlissa All Saints Arlissa Dear Prudence The Gypsy Queens List of record labels The London Records Story from BSN Pubs Discographies London Records A&R team contact list

8.
MGM Records
–
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. It soon transitioned to a pop music label which continued into the 1970s, in one instance, it even released the highly successful soundtrack album of a film made by a rival studio, Columbia Picturess Born Free. Their first soundtrack was of Till the Clouds Roll By, a 1946 film based on the life of composer Jerome Kern and it was the first soundtrack album of a live-action film. The album was issued as a set of four 10-inch 78-rpm records. As in many early MGM soundtrack albums, only eight selections from the film were included on the version of the album. In order to fit the songs onto the sides the musical material needed editing. Needless to say, it was several generations removed from the original, also, the playback recordings were purposely recorded very dry otherwise it would come across as too hollow sounding in large movie theatres. This made these albums sound flat and boxy, MGM Records called these original cast albums in the style of Deccas Broadway show cast albums. They also coined the phrase recorded directly from the soundtrack, over the years the term soundtrack began to be commonly applied to any recording from a film, whether taken from the actual film soundtrack or re-recorded in studio. The phrase is sometimes incorrectly used for Broadway cast recordings. While it is correct to call a soundtrack a cast recording it is never correct to call a cast recording a soundtrack, by 1950, magnetic tape had been perfected for recording use, and this markedly improved the sound quality on the albums, beginning about 1951. MGM Records also released a soundtrack album of Quo Vadis. Beginning in the 1990s, authentic soundtrack albums of the scores to Ben-Hur. The Rhino Records editions of these albums featured literally the entire scores, Rhino also released a full-length two-disc album of the score of Gone With the Wind, recorded from the soundtrack in the original mono. Rhinos license expired at the end of 2011 and the albums Rhino issued are now out of print, Warner Bros. now owns the MGM soundtracks first issued by MGM Records and Warner Bros WaterTower Music unit now has the rights to release the MGM soundtracks. Kildare, Andy Hardy, Maisie, and Crime Does Not Pay, the MGM record pressing plant also manufactured the electrical transcriptions used to distribute the shows to local stations. The record manufacturing division was closed when MGM Records was sold to PolyGram and these Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer records were manufactured under contract with the studio by Columbia Records. In the early 1950s, MGM Records was considered one of the record companies due to owning its own manufacturing facilities

9.
Florida
–
Florida /ˈflɒrᵻdə/ is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U. S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, the Miami metropolitan area is Floridas most populous urban area. The city of Tallahassee is the state capital, much of the state is at or near sea level and is characterized by sedimentary soil. The climate varies from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, the American alligator, American crocodile, Florida panther, and manatee can be found in the Everglades National Park. It was a location of the Seminole Wars against the Native Americans. Today, Florida is distinctive for its large Cuban expatriate community and high population growth, the states economy relies mainly on tourism, agriculture, and transportation, which developed in the late 19th century. Florida is also renowned for amusement parks, orange crops, the Kennedy Space Center, Florida has attracted many writers such as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, and continues to attract celebrities and athletes. It is internationally known for golf, tennis, auto racing, by the 16th century, the earliest time for which there is a historical record, major Native American groups included the Apalachee, the Timucua, the Ais, the Tocobaga, the Calusa and the Tequesta. Florida was the first part of the continental United States to be visited and settled by Europeans, the earliest known European explorers came with the Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Ponce de León spotted and landed on the peninsula on April 2,1513 and he named the region La Florida. The story that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth is a myth, in May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de Soto skirted the coast of Florida, searching for a deep harbor to land. He described seeing a wall of red mangroves spread mile after mile, some reaching as high as 70 feet. Very soon, many smokes appeared along the whole coast, billowing against the sky, the Spanish introduced Christianity, cattle, horses, sheep, the Spanish language, and more to Florida. Both the Spanish and French established settlements in Florida, with varying degrees of success, in 1559, Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano established a settlement at present-day Pensacola, making it the first attempted settlement in Florida, but it was abandoned by 1561. Spain maintained tenuous control over the region by converting the tribes to Christianity. The area of Spanish Florida diminished with the establishment of English settlements to the north, the English attacked St. Augustine, burning the city and its cathedral to the ground several times. Florida attracted numerous Africans and African-Americans from adjacent British colonies who sought freedom from slavery, in 1738, Governor Manuel de Montiano established Fort Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose near St

10.
United States
–
Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci

11.
Singer-songwriter
–
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose, and perform their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. The genre began with the folk-acoustic tradition, singer-songwriters often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano. Singer-songwriter is used to define popular music artists who write and perform their own material, such an artist performs the roles of composer, lyricist, vocalist, instrumentalist, and often self-manager. Most records by artists have a similarly straightforward and spare sound that placed emphasis on the song itself. The term has also used to describe songwriters in the rock, folk, and pop music genres including Henry Russell, Aristide Bruant, Hank Williams. Song topics include political protest, as in the case of the Almanac Singers, Pete Seeger, the concept of a singer-songwriter can be traced to ancient bardic oral tradition, which has existed in various forms throughout the world. Poems would be performed as chant or song, sometimes accompanied by a harp or other similar instrument, after the invention of printing, songs would be written and performed by ballad sellers. Usually these would be versions of existing tunes and lyrics, which were constantly evolving and this developed into the singer-songwriting traditions of folk culture. The term singer-songwriter in North America can be traced back to singers who developed works in the blues and folk music style. Early to mid-20th century American singer-songwriters include Lead Belly, Jimmie Rodgers, Blind Lemon Jefferson, T-Bone Walker, Blind Willie McTell, Lightnin Hopkins, Son House, the tradition of writing topical songs was established by this group of musicians. This focus on social issues has greatly influenced the singer-songwriter genre, artists who had been primarily songwriters, notably Carole King, Townes Van Zandt, and Neil Diamond, also began releasing work as performers. In contrast to the approach of most prior country and folk music. The adjectives confessional and sensitive were often used singer-songwriter style, in the rock band era, members were not technically singer-songwriters as solo acts. However, many were singer-songwriters who created songs with band members. Many others like Eric Clapton found success as singer-songwriters in their later careers, there were hints of cross-pollination, but rock and folk music had remained largely separate genres, often with different audiences. An early attempt at fusing elements of folk and rock was highlighted in the Animals House of the Rising Sun, dylan plugged an entire generation into the milieu of the singer-songwriter. In the mid- to late 1960s, bands and singer-songwriters began to proliferate the underground New York art/music scene. Lotti Golden, in her Atlantic debut album Motor-Cycle, chronicled her life in NYCs East Village in the late 60s counterculture, visiting subjects such as gender identity, kate Bush remained distinctive throughout with her idiosyncratic style

12.
Palatka, Florida
–
Palatka is a city in Putnam County, Florida, United States. The population was 10,558 at the 2010 census and it is the county seat of Putnam County. Palatka is the city of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to St. Johns River State College, St. Johns River Water Management District Headquarters. The area is known for its local festivals, most notably the Florida Azalea Festival. The area was once the domain of the Timucuan peoples, two tribes of which existed in the Palatka region under chiefs Saturiwa and Utina and they fished bass and mullet, or hunted deer, turkeys, bear and opossum. Others farmed beans, corn, melons, squash, and tobacco, however, infectious disease that came with European contact and war devastated the tribes, and they were extinct by the mid-18th century. The last people evacuated with the Spanish to Cuba in 1763, during the late eighteenth century, remnants of Creek and other tribes made their way to Florida. In a process of ethnogenesis, the Seminole tribe was formed and they called the location Pilo-taikita, meaning crossing over or cows crossing. Here the St. Johns River narrows and begins a shallower, winding course upstream to Lake George, in 1767, Denys Rolle, an English gentleman and philanthropist, established Rollestown on the east bank of the St. Johns River at the head of deep-water navigation. His 78, 000-acre plantation was a commercial and humanitarian experiment, recruiting settlers off the streets of London, including paupers, vagrants, pickpockets. Two hundred indentured servants arrived to clear wilderness for agriculture and livestock, unaccustomed to either hard work or a subtropical climate, however, they scattered. Rolle next imported slaves from West Africa to tend chickens, hogs, goats and sheep, or produce cotton, indigo, citrus and he built a mansion and laid out a village, but trouble beleaguered the ideal society. In 1770, a disgruntled overseer sold over 1,000 of his employers cattle, Rolle hired new overseers and bought more slaves, but the plantation failed to prosper. The point in East Palatka, is still called Rollestown, with changes of sovereignty in Florida came numerous changes of ownership in Pilo-taikita, now contracted to Pilatka. In 1774, naturalist William Bartram noted an Indian village on the west bank, the current existence of Palatka can be traced to the settlement established there in 1821. After the United States acquired Florida in 1821, Nehemiah Brush established a ferry and bought a 1, 200-acre tract in 1826 and another of equal size the next year. The site became a point, where goods were shipped by a New York company to supply immigrants at the Grant of Arredondo

13.
WTLV
–
WTLV, virtual channel 12, is an NBC-affiliated television station located in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. The station is owned by Tegna, Inc. as part of a duopoly with ABC affiliate WJXX, the two stations share studio facilities located on East Adams Street in downtown Jacksonville, WTLV maintains transmitter facilities located on Eve Drive in the citys Kilarney Shores section. On cable, the station is available on channel 11 on Comcast Xfinity and channel 12 in most outlying areas of the market, the station first signed on the air on September 1,1957 as WFGA-TV. Founded by the Florida-Georgia Television Company, it was originally a primary NBC affiliate with an affiliation with ABC. It was the first television station in the United States that was designed for color broadcasting, two years later, WFGA donated tower space, money and transmitting facilities to the markets National Educational Television member station WJCT. In 1958, WFGA was selected Newsfilm Station of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association, on October 11,1958, channel 12 became the first television station to air a live launch from Cape Canaveral – Thor-Ables successful launch of the Pioneer I lunar probe. The station also provided the facilities, and supplied video. This earned WFGA-TV the exclusive spot for NBCs space coverage, WFGA lost the ABC affiliation to WJKS, when it signed on September 1966, as a result, channel 12 became an exclusive NBC affiliate. In 1972, the changed its call letters to WTLV. In 1975, the station was purchased by Harte-Hanks Communications, on March 31,1980, WTLV swapped affiliations with WJKS, joining ABC, which at the time was the most-watched of the then-three major U. S. broadcast television networks. In 1988, the Gannett Company bought WTLV from Harte-Hanks, in a deal with Greensboro. On April 3 of that year, WTLV reversed the 1980 affiliation swap with WJKS, by this time, NBC had once again become the highest-rated broadcast network. WTLV became the de facto official station of the Jacksonville Jaguars when the NFL team began operations in 1995 and it aired most Jaguars games until 1998, when the teams telecasts moved to WJXT after CBS acquired the broadcast rights to the AFCs regular season and playoff games. Normally, duopolies between two big four affiliates or even big three affiliates would not be allowed because they constituted the top four stations in a market. FCC regulations do not allow common ownership of any two of the four highest-rated stations in a market based on total-day viewership, however, WJXX had ranked as the fifth highest-rated station in the market, often trailing WJWB and Fox affiliate WAWS, in addition to WJXT and WTLV. As part of the purchase, the company integrated WJXXs operations into WTLVs Adams Street facility, however, most of the on-air personnel were holdovers from WTLV. The studios of the newly created duopoly were also renovated and a new graphics, around the first week of October 2012, Gannett entered a dispute against Dish Network regarding compensation fees and Dishs AutoHop commercial-skip feature on its Hopper digital video recorders. Gannett ordered that Dish discontinue AutoHop on the account that it is affecting advertising revenues for its Jacksonville television stations, Gannett threatened to pull them both from the satellite provider should the skirmish continue beyond October 7 and Dish and Gannett fail to reach an agreement

14.
University of Florida
–
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university on a 2, 000-acre campus in Gainesville, Florida. It is a member of the State University System of Florida and traces its origins to 1853. The University is classified as a Research University with Very High Research by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, for 2017, U. S. News & World Report ranked Florida as the fourteenth best public university in the United States. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and it is the third largest Florida university by student population, and is the eighth largest single-campus university in the United States with 49,913 students enrolled for the fall 2012 semester. The University of Florida is home to sixteen colleges and more than 150 research centers. The University of Florida traces its origins to 1853, when the East Florida Seminary, on January 6,1853, Governor Thomas Brown signed a bill that provided public support for higher education in Florida. Gilbert Kingsbury was the first person to take advantage of the legislation, and established the East Florida Seminary, the East Florida Seminary was Floridas first state-supported institution of higher learning. James Henry Roper, an educator from North Carolina and a senator from Alachua County, had opened a school in Gainesville. In 1866, Roper offered his land and school to the State of Florida in exchange for the relocation of the East Florida Seminary to Gainesville, the second major precursor to the University of Florida was the Florida Agricultural College, established at Lake City by Jordan Probst in 1884. Florida Agricultural College became the states first land-grant college under the Morrill Act, in 1905, the Florida Legislature passed the Buckman Act, which consolidated the states publicly supported higher education institutions. The member of the legislature who wrote the act, Henry Holland Buckman, later became the namesake of Buckman Hall, the Buckman Act organized the State University System of Florida and created the Florida Board of Control to govern the system. The City of Gainesville, led by its Mayor William Reuben Thomas, on July 6,1905, the Board of Control selected Gainesville for the new university campus. Andrew Sledd, president of the pre-existing University of Florida at Lake City, was selected to be the first president of the new University of the State of Florida, architect William A. Edwards designed the first official campus buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style. Classes began on the new Gainesville campus on September 26,1906, in 1909, the schools name was simplified from the University of the State of Florida to the University of Florida. The alligator was incidentally chosen as the mascot in 1911, after a local vendor ordered. Murphree is the only University of Florida president honored with a statue on the campus, before this, only the summer semester was coeducational, to accommodate women teachers who wanted to further their education during the summer break. Lassie Goodbread-Black from Lake City became the first woman to enroll at the University of Florida, john J. Tigert became the third university president in 1928. By the end of the 1946–47 school year,954 men were enrolled at the Tallahassee Branch, the following semester, the Florida Legislature returned the Florida State College for Women to coeducational status and renamed it Florida State University

15.
Nashville, Tennessee
–
Nashville is the capital of the U. S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in the central part of the state. The city is a center for the music, healthcare, publishing, banking and transportation industries and it is known as a center of the country music industry, earning it the nickname Music City, U. S. A. Since 1963, Nashville has had a consolidated city-county government which includes six municipalities in a two-tier system. Nashville is governed by a mayor, vice-mayor, and 40-member Metropolitan Council, thirty-five of the members are elected from single-member districts, five are elected at-large. Reflecting the citys position in government, Nashville is home to the Tennessee Supreme Courts courthouse for Middle Tennessee. According to 2015 estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau, the balance population, which excludes semi-independent municipalities within Nashville, was 654,610. The 2015 population of the entire 13-county Nashville metropolitan area was 1,830,345, the 2015 population of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Columbia combined statistical area, a larger trade area, was 1,951,644. The town of Nashville was founded by James Robertson, John Donelson, and it was named for Francis Nash, the American Revolutionary War hero. Nashville quickly grew because of its location, accessibility as a port on the Cumberland River, a tributary of the Ohio River. By 1800, the city had 345 residents, including 136 African American slaves and 14 free blacks, in 1806, Nashville was incorporated as a city and became the county seat of Davidson County, Tennessee. In 1843, the city was named the permanent capital of the state of Tennessee, by 1860, when the first rumblings of secession began to be heard across the South, antebellum Nashville was a prosperous city. The citys significance as a port made it a desirable prize as a means of controlling important river. In February 1862, Nashville became the first state capital to fall to Union troops, the state was occupied by Union troops for the duration of the war. Within a few years after the Civil War, the Nashville chapter of the Ku Klux Klan was founded by Confederate veteran John W. Morton, meanwhile, the city had reclaimed its important shipping and trading position and developed a solid manufacturing base. The post–Civil War years of the late 19th century brought new prosperity to Nashville and these healthy economic times left the city with a legacy of grand classical-style buildings, which can still be seen around the downtown area. Circa 1950 the state approved a new city charter that provided for the election of city council members from single-member districts. This change was supported because at-large voting diluted the minority populations political power in the city and they could seldom gain a majority of the population to support a candidate of their choice

16.
WSM (AM)
–
WSM is a 50, 000-watt AM radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts a country music format at 650 kHz and is known primarily as the home of The Grand Ole Opry. The stations clear channel signal can reach much of North America and nearby countries and it is one of two clear-channel stations in North America, along with CFZM/740-Toronto, that still primarily broadcast music. Nicknamed The Air Castle of the South, it shares its callsign with WSM-FM, also in Nashville, WSM first signed on in 1925. It is primarily associated with the popularization of music through its weekly Saturday night program, the Grand Ole Opry. In 1932, WSM boosted its power to 50,000 watts, in addition to its vast nighttime coverage area, the station boasts one of the largest daytime coverage areas in the country. It provides at least grade B coverage as far southeast as Chattanooga, as far northwest as Evansville, Indiana, as far west as Jackson, Tennessee and as far south as Huntsville, Alabama. Under the right conditions, it can be heard in all of Tennessee and much of Kentucky. The station traditionally played country music in the hours, when listeners from around the United States would tune in. Before the advent of television, the station broadcast long-form radio programs in addition to music, after television became popular, WSM adopted a MOR music format during the daytime hours, and continued to play country music at night. It was not until about 1979 that WSM adopted the 24-hour country music format of today, WSM is credited with helping shape Nashville into a recording industry capital. Because of WSMs wide reach, musical acts from all across the eastern United States came come to Nashville in the decades of the stations existence. Over time, as acts and recording companies came to Nashville. Disc jockey David Cobb is credited with first referring to Nashville as Music City USA, in 1996, the station was named Radio Station of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards. WSMs unusual diamond-shaped antenna is visible from Interstate 65 just south of Nashville and is one of the areas landmarks and it is located near the I-65 exit 71 interchange with Concord Road. When the 878-foot tower was built in 1932, it was the tallest antenna in North America and its height was reduced to 808 feet in 1939 when it was discovered that the taller tower was causing self-cancellation in the fringe areas of reception of the station. For a period during World War II it was designated to provide transmissions to submarines in the event that ship-to-shore communications were lost and it is now one of the oldest operating broadcast towers in the United States. As a tribute to the stations centrality in country music history, the tower is listed as a National Engineering Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 15,2011

17.
Archie Bleyer
–
Archie Bleyer was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive. He was born Archibald Martin Bleyer in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens and his father was a well-known trumpet player who had played with the Metropolitan Opera. The younger Bleyer began playing the piano when he was seven years old. In 1927 he attended Columbia College, intending to become an electrical engineer, without graduating, he left to become an arranger. In the early 1930s, Bleyer wrote a number of songs that were recorded, all hot novelty numbers, including Mouthful OJam, Business In F, in 1934 he began to lead his own band at Earl Carrolls club in Hollywood, California. Bleyers orchestra recorded for Vocalion Records in 1934 and in 1935 moved to the ARC group of labels, one of the vocalists who worked with this orchestra was Johnny Mercer, who later became known as a songwriter and co-founder of Capitol Records. In 1945 Bleyer began a collaboration on the CBS radio network as the conductor for the popular Gordon MacRae Show. Included among the instrumentalist who appeared with his orchestra was John Serry Sr. who emerged in later years as a leading orchestral accordionist and he became Arthur Godfreys musical director in 1946, remaining in this role until 1953. Many close to Godfrey considered Bleyers creativity and understanding of music to be pivotal to the success of Godfreys radio, and while Godfrey was known to be short-fused and controlling, he often deferred to Bleyers judgment in the areas of presentation and production. Bleyer founded Cadence Records in 1952, the labels first artist was Julius La Rosa, a member of the Godfrey cast along with vocalists Janette Davis, Frank Parker, Marion Marlowe and the integrated vocal group The Mariners. At the time, La Rosa was the shows most popular cast member, in the fall of 1953, Godfrey dismissed La Rosa on the air and later claimed the young singer lacked humility, which heavily damaged Godfreys popularity. La Rosa had a hired a manager, going against an unofficial Godfrey policy. That same day, Godfrey fired Bleyer, claiming he was offended when Bleyer recorded Chicago radio personality Don McNeill and this long-running Godfrey-like show was based in Chicago and broadcast nationally, but its popularity was mainly in the Midwest and tailored to that audience. Always insecure, Godfrey felt McNeill, whose show had once been a competitor, was still in competition though Godfrey was the dominant personality of his generation. Godfrey later claimed when he confronted Bleyer and threatened to fire him from at least one of the three shows Godfrey hosted, the conductor shrugged and told him to do what he had to do. After leaving the show, Bleyer never made a comment about his days with Godfrey. The loss of Bleyers expertise in staging and production matters, where he served as an mentor to Godfrey despite their age differences, was detrimental to Godfreys programs. Bleyer circa 1963 was also the step father-in-law of Phil Everly and he had his own instrumental recording hits on the Cadence label as well

18.
Billboard Hot 100
–
The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales, radio play and online streaming, the weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday, when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming data, is available on a real-time basis. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays, as of the issue for the week ending on April 15,2017, the Hot 100 has had 1,061 different number one hits. The current number one song is Shape of You by Ed Sheeran, prior to 1955, Billboard did not have a unified, all-encompassing popularity chart, instead measuring songs by individual metrics. At the start of the era in 1955, three such charts existed, Best Sellers in Stores was the first Billboard chart, established in 1936. This chart ranked the biggest selling singles in retail stores, as reported by merchants surveyed throughout the country, Most Played by Jockeys was Billboards original airplay chart. It ranked the most played songs on United States radio stations, as reported by radio disc jockeys, Most Played in Jukeboxes ranked the most played songs in jukeboxes across the United States. On the week ending November 12,1955, Billboard published The Top 100 for the first time, the Top 100 combined all aspects of a singles performance, based on a point system that typically gave sales more weight than radio airplay. The Best Sellers In Stores, Most Played by Jockeys and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts continued to be published concurrently with the new Top 100 chart. The week ending July 28,1958 was the publication of the Most Played By Jockeys and Top 100 charts. On August 4,1958, Billboard premiered one main all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100 quickly became the industry standard and Billboard discontinued the Best Sellers In Stores chart on October 13,1958. The Billboard Hot 100 is still the standard by which a songs popularity is measured in the United States, the Hot 100 is ranked by radio airplay audience impressions as measured by Nielsen BDS, sales data compiled by Nielsen Soundscan and streaming activity provided by online music sources. There are several component charts that contribute to the calculation of the Hot 100. Charts are ranked by number of gross audience impressions, computed by cross-referencing exact times of radio airplay with Arbitron listener data. Hot Singles Sales, the top selling singles compiled from a sample of retail store, mass merchant and internet sales reports collected, compiled. The chart is released weekly and measures sales of commercial singles. With the decline in sales of singles in the US

19.
Bachelor's degree
–
A bachelors degree or baccalaureate is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to seven years. In some institutions and educational systems, some bachelors degrees can only be taken as graduate or postgraduate degrees after a first degree has been completed. The term bachelor in the 12th century referred to a knight bachelor, by the end of the 13th century, it was also used by junior members of guilds or universities. By folk etymology or wordplay, the word came to be associated with bacca lauri in reference to laurels being awarded for academic success or honours. An honours degree generally requires an academic standard than a pass degree. In most African countries, the university systems follow the model of their former colonizing power, for example, the Nigerian university system is similar to the British system, while the Ivorian system is akin to the French. The degree is typically identical to the program of Frances universities, bachelors degree programs cover most of the fields in Algerian universities, except some fields, such as Medicine and Pharmaceutical Science. Bachelors degrees at the University of Botswana normally take four years, the system draws on both British and American models. Degrees are classified as First Class, Second Class Division One, Second Class Division Two and Third as in English degrees, but without being described as honours. The main degrees are named by British tradition, but in recent years there have been a numbers of degrees named after specific subjects, such as Bachelor of Library, in Morocco, a bachelors degree is referred to as al-ʾijāzah. The course of study takes three years, which are divided into two cycles. The first cycle comprises the first, or propaedeutic, year, after successfully completing their first two years, students can pursue either theoretical specialization or professional specialization. The second cycle is one long, after whose completion students receive the licence détudes fondamentales or the licence professionnelle. This academic degree system was introduced in September 2003, University admission is extremely competitive, with attendant advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, it takes four to five years to complete a bachelors degree, in cases of poor performance, the time limit is double the standard amount of time. For example, one may not study for more than 10 years for a five-year course, students are normally asked to leave if they must take longer. B. Arch. and other specialized undergraduate degrees, such as B. Eng, Science undergraduate degrees may require six months or a semester dedicated to SIWES but it is usually mandatory for all engineering degrees. A semester for project work/thesis is required, not excluding course work, the classifications of degrees, first-class, second-class, third-class and a pass

20.
New York City
–
The City of New York, often called New York City or simply New York, is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2015 population of 8,550,405 distributed over an area of about 302.6 square miles. Located at the tip of the state of New York. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. Situated on one of the worlds largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, the five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product of nearly US$1.39 trillion, in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion. NYCs MSA and CSA GDP are higher than all but 11 and 12 countries, New York City traces its origin to its 1624 founding in Lower Manhattan as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664 and were renamed New York after King Charles II of England granted the lands to his brother, New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the countrys largest city since 1790, the Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a symbol of the United States and its democracy. In the 21st century, New York has emerged as a node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world, the names of many of the citys bridges, tapered skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Manhattans real estate market is among the most expensive in the world, Manhattans Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 472 stations in operation. Over 120 colleges and universities are located in New York City, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, during the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, movement of the ice sheet would contribute to the separation of what are now Long Island and Staten Island. The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown and he claimed the area for France and named it Nouvelle Angoulême. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August and he proceeded to sail up what the Dutch would name the North River, named first by Hudson as the Mauritius after Maurice, Prince of Orange

21.
Cover version
–
A cover version can also refer to a rerecording of a song by the original artist or performers under a different record company. Originally, Billboard and other magazines that track the popularity of artists and hit tunes measured the sales success of the published tune. Later, they tracked the airplay that songs achieved, some versions being more successful recording than the original song. Before the onset of rock n roll in the 1950s, songs were published and several records of a song might be out by singers of the day. The Hendrix version, released six months after Dylans original, became a Top 10 single in the UK in 1968 and was ranked 48th in Rolling Stone magazines 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The term cover goes back decades when cover version originally described a version of a tune recorded to compete with the recently released version. The Chicago Tribune described the term in 1952, trade jargon meaning to record a tune that looks like a hit on someone elses label. Examples of records covered include Paul Williams 1949 hit tune The Hucklebuck, both crossed over to the popular Hit Parade and had numerous hit versions. In fact, one of the objects of publishing sheet music was to have a composition performed by as many artists as possible. In previous generations, some artists made very successful careers of presenting revivals or reworkings of once-popular tunes, musicians now play what they call cover versions of songs as a tribute to the original performer or group. Using familiar material is an important method of learning music styles, until the mid-1960s most albums, or long playing records, contained a large number of evergreens or standards to present a fuller range of the artists abilities and style. Artists might also perform interpretations of a favorite artists hit tunes for the pleasure of playing a familiar song or collection of tunes. A cover band plays cover versions exclusively. Some tribute acts salute the Who, The Rolling Stones and many classic rock acts. Many tribute acts target artists who remain popular but no longer perform, many tribute bands attempt to recreate another bands music as faithfully as possible, but some such bands introduce a twist. Dread Zeppelin performs reggae versions of the Zeppelin catalog and Beatallica creates heavy metal fusions of songs by the Beatles, there are also situations in which a member of a tribute band will go on to greater success, sometimes with the original act they tribute. One notable example is Tim Ripper Owens who, once the singer of Judas Priest tribute band British Steel. Cover acts or bands are entertainers who perform a variety of crowd-pleasing cover songs for audiences who enjoy the familiarity of hit songs

22.
Earth Angel
–
Earth Angel is a song by American doo-wop group the Penguins. Produced by Dootsie Williams, it was released as their single in October 1954 on Dootone Records. The Penguins had formed the prior and recorded the song as a demo in a garage in South Los Angeles. The songs origins lie in different sources, among them songs by Jesse Belvin, Patti Page. Its authorship was the subject of a legal dispute with Williams in the years following its release. Although the song was going to be overdubbed with additional instrumentation, the song grew out of Southern California and spread across the United States over the winter of 1954–55. Earth Angel became the first independent label release to appear on Billboards national pop charts and it was a big hit on the magazines R&B charts, where it remained number one for several weeks. A cover version by white vocal group the Crew-Cuts peaked higher on the pop charts, more cover versions followed, including recordings by Gloria Mann, Tiny Tim, Johnny Tillotson, and Elvis Presley. The Penguins only hit, it sold in excess of 10 million copies. The original recording of the song remained a hit single for much of the 1950s. In 2005, it was one of 50 recordings chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry, deeming it culturally, historically, or aesthetically important. The Penguins—composed of lead vocalist Cleveland Duncan, bass Curtis Williams, tenor Dexter Tisby, the group named themselves after the Kool cigarette advertising mascot. Williams and Gaynel Hodge were previously members of The Hollywood Flames, Belvin had previously had a hit single in Dream Girl, a 1952 ballad credited to Jesse & Marvin. The song echoes Earth Angel in its refrain, Dream girl. Its why-oh hook was adapted as a background chant within Earth Angel, hook was borrowed from the R&B hit of the same name by the Swallows. The Hollywood Flames were hired that year by Jessie Mae Robinson to record a demo of I Went to Your Wedding, Hodge later noted that the group lifted the bridge from that song for Earth Angel. The song also contains elements of the Flames 1953 recording of I Know in its introduction and chord progressions. Williams reportedly wrote the song for his wife, Marlene, and Duncan re-wrote the melody, Earth Angel was recorded as a literal garage demo—it was recorded in a home garage at the Los Angeles home of Ted Brinson

23.
Johnny Ace
–
John Marshall Alexander, Jr. known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid-1950s and he died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 25. Alexander was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of a preacher, after serving in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War, he joined Adolph Duncans Band as a pianist. He then joined the B. B. King band, soon King departed for Los Angeles, and the bands singer, Bobby Bland, joined the army. Alexander took over duties and renamed the band the Beale Streeters. He also took over Kings radio show on WDIA and he began performing as Johnny Ace. He signed with Duke Records in 1952 and his first recording, My Song, an urbane heart ballad, topped the R&B chart for nine weeks in September. Ace began heavy touring, often with Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton. In the next two years, he had eight hits in a row, including Cross My Heart, Please Forgive Me, The Clock, Yes, Baby, Saving My Love for You and Never Let Me Go. In December 1954 he was named the Most Programmed Artist of 1954, Aces recordings sold very well for those times. Early in 1955, Duke Records announced that three of his 1954 recordings, along with Thorntons Hound Dog, had more than 1,750,000 copies. After touring for a year, Ace had been performing at the City Auditorium in Houston, Texas, during a break between sets, he was playing with a. 22-caliber revolver. Members of his said he did this often, sometimes shooting at roadside signs from their car. It was widely reported that Ace killed himself playing Russian roulette, however, Big Mama Thorntons bass player, Curtis Tillman, who witnessed the event, said, I will tell you exactly what happened. Johnny Ace had been drinking and he had this little pistol he was waving around the table and someone said ‘Be careful with that thing…’ and he said ‘It’s okay. Gun’s not loaded… see. ’ and pointed it at himself with a smile on his face, Big Mama ran out of the dressing room yelling ‘Johnny Ace just killed himself. Thornton said in a statement that Ace had been playing with the gun. According to Thornton, Ace pointed the gun at his girlfriend and another woman who were sitting nearby and he then pointed the gun toward himself, bragging that he knew which chamber was loaded

24.
Boots Randolph
–
Homer Louis Boots Randolph III was an American musician best known for his 1963 saxophone hit Yakety Sax. Randolph was a part of the Nashville sound for most of his professional career. Randolph was born in Paducah, Kentucky, and raised in Cadiz, Kentucky, attending school in Evansville. At the end of World War II, Boots Randolph played saxophone, trombone, after his service in the Army, he played with Dink Welchs Kopy Kats in Decatur, Illinois, from 1948 to 1954. He briefly resided in Louisville, Kentucky, before returning to Decatur to start his own group, during his forty plus career, Randolph performed in hundreds of venues alongside many artists in pop, rock, jazz, and country music. He played on recording sessions with Elvis Presley and also performed on soundtracks for a number of Presleys motion pictures. Randolph recorded for Monument Records in Nashville and played on Roy Orbisons 1963 hit and he was also featured on Little Queenie by REO Speedwagon, Java by Al Hirt, Turn On Your Love Light by Jerry Lee Lewis, and Rockin Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee. He was present on many recordings by guitarist Chet Atkins with whom he often performed, early in his career, he often billed himself as Randy Randolph. As a solo recording artist, Randolph placed four singles in the Top-100 between 1963 and 1967, the most successful of these was Yakety Sax, which reached #35 in 1963 and stayed on the charts for nine weeks. Randolph was also successful on Billboard Magazines album charts, having fourteen entries between 1963 and 1972, Boots With Strings from 1966 reached #36 and stayed on the chart for nearly two years. In 1977, Randolph opened a club of his own in Nashvilles Printers Alley. He also frequently appeared on the television program Hee Haw, and was a member of the Million Dollar Band, on July 3,2007, Randolph died at Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He had celebrated his 80th birthday just one month prior and his final solo studio album, A Whole New Ballgame, was released June 12,2007. A Boots with Strings also peaked at #3 on Jazz albums, B Country Boots peaked at #30 on Country albums The Nashville A-Team Trott, Walt. In The Encyclopedia of Country Music, official Site Boots Randolph at the Internet Movie Database Boots bio Some of his music Find-A-Grave Memorial Page Boots Randolph Interview NAMM Oral History Program

25.
Floyd Cramer
–
Floyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the Nashville sound. He was known for his slip note style, in which an out-of-key note slides into the correct note. Cramer was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and grew up in the town of Huttig. He taught himself to play the piano, after finishing high school, he returned to Shreveport, where he worked as a pianist for the radio show Louisiana Hayride. In 1953, he cut his first single, Dancin Diane, backed with Little Brown Jug, in 1955 he played dates with an emerging talent who would later figure significantly in his career, Elvis Presley. In 1955 Cramer moved to Nashville, where piano accompaniment in music was growing in popularity. By the next year he was, in his words, in day and it was Cramers piano playing, for instance, on Presleys first RCA Victor single, Heartbreak Hotel. However, Cramer remained strictly a player, a virtual unknown to anyone outside the music industry. Cramer had released records under his own name since the early 1950s and became known following the release of Last Date. The instrumental piece exhibited a new concept in piano playing known as the slip note style. The record went to two on the Billboard Hot 100 pop music chart, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The song was out of the number 1 position by Elvis Presleys Are You Lonesome Tonight. Interestingly and perhaps ironically, the session pianist for Elviss recording of that #1 song, of the characteristic slip note style, Cramer commented, The style I use mainly is a whole-tone slur which gives more of a lonesome cowboy sound. You hit a note and slide almost simultaneously to another, the origin of the style is uncertain. Cramer also acknowledged the influence of Mother Maybelle Carters autoharp playing, in 1961, Cramer had a hit with On the Rebound, which went to number 4, and number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. Also in 1961, Cramer had a hit with San Antonio Rose, Cramer also performed with them as a member of the Million Dollar Band. Over the years, he continued to balance work with his own albums. Many of these featured standards or popular hits of the era, from 1965 to 1974 he annually recorded a disc of the years biggest hits, entitled Class of

26.
Music recording sales certification
–
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies. The threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory, almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories, which are named after precious materials. The number of sales or shipments required for these awards depends upon the population of the territory in which the recording is released, typically, they are awarded only to international releases and are awarded individually for each country in which the album is sold. Different sales levels, some perhaps 10 times lower than others, the original gold record awards were presented to artists by their own record companies to publicize their sales achievements. The first of these was awarded by RCA Victor to Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in February 1942, another example of a company award is the gold record awarded to Elvis Presley in 1956 for one million units sold of his single Dont Be Cruel. The first gold record for an LP was awarded by RCA Victor to Harry Belafonte in 1957 for the album Calypso and these sales were restricted to U. S. -based record companies and did not include exports to other countries. For albums in 1968, this would mean shipping approximately 250,000 units, the platinum certification was introduced in 1976 for the sale of one million units, album or single, with the gold certification redefined to mean sales of 500,000 units, album or single. No album was certified platinum prior to this year, for instance, the recording by Van Cliburn of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto from 1958 would eventually be awarded a platinum citation, but this would not happen until two decades after its release. In 1999, the certification was introduced for sales of ten million units. On 14 March 1958, the RIAA certified its first gold record, soundtrack was certified as the first gold album four months later. In 1976, RIAA introduced the platinum certification, first awarded to Johnnie Taylors single, Disco Lady, as music sales increased with the introduction of compact discs, the RIAA created the Multi-Platinum award in 1984. Diamond awards, honoring those artists whose sales of singles or albums reached 10,000,000 copies, were introduced in 1999 and this became much less common once the majority of retail sales became paid digital downloads and digital streaming. In most countries certifications no longer apply solely to physical media, in June 2006, the RIAA also certified the ringtone downloads of songs. Streaming from on-demand services such as Rhapsody and Spotify has been included into existing digital certification in the U. S since 2013, in the U. S. and Germany video streaming services like YouTube, VEVO, and Yahoo. Music also began to be counted towards the certification, in both cases using the formula of 100 streams being equivalent to one download, other countries, such as Denmark and Spain, maintain separate awards for digital download singles and streaming. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry was founded in 1996, and grants the IFPI Platinum Europe Award for album sales over one million within Europe, multi-platinum Europe Awards are presented for sales in subsequent multiples of one million. Eligibility is unaffected by time, and is not restricted to European-based artists, IMPALA sales awards were launched in 2005 as the first sales awards recognising that success on a pan-European basis begins well before sales reach one million. The award levels are Silver, Double Silver, Gold, Double Gold, Diamond, Platinum, below are certification thresholds for the United States and United Kingdom

27.
Recording Industry Association of America
–
The Recording Industry Association of America is a continental North and South American trade organization that represents the recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors, which the RIAA says create, the RIAA headquarters is in Washington, D. C. The RIAA was formed in 1952 and its original mission was to administer recording copyright fees and problems, work with trade unions, and do research relating to the record industry and government regulations. Early RIAA standards included the RIAA equalization curve, the format of the record groove and the dimensions of 33 1/3 rpm,45 rpm. Since 2001, the RIAA has spent $2 to $6 million each year on lobbying in the United States, the RIAA also participates in the collective rights management of sound recordings, and it is responsible for certifying Gold and Platinum albums and singles in the United States. Cary Sherman has been the RIAAs chairman and CEO since 2011, Sherman joined the RIAA as its general counsel in 1997 and became president of the board of directors in 2001, serving in that position until being made chairman and CEO. Mitch Glazier has been the RIAAs senior executive vice president since 2011 and he served as executive vice president for public policy and industry relations from 2000 to 2011. The past RIAA chairman and CEO is Mitch Bainwol, who served from 2003 to 2011 and he left in 2011 to become president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The board of directors consists of 26 members of the board, the RIAA operates an award program for albums that sell a large number of copies. The program originally began in 1958, with a Gold Award for singles, the criterion was changed in 1975 to the number of copies sold, with albums selling 500,000 copies awarded the Gold Award. In 1976, a Platinum Award was added for one million sales, the awards are open to both RIAA members and non-members. Since 2000, the RIAA also operates a program for Latin music sales. Currently, a Disco De Oro is awarded for 30,000 units, the RIAA defines Latin music as a type of release with 51% or more of its content recorded in Spanish. In 2006, digital ringtones were added to branch of certification. In the same year, the RIAA introduced the Latin Digital Award for digital recordings in Spanish and this release format includes DVD and VHS releases, and certain live albums and compilation albums. The certification criteria is different from other styles. Gold,50,000 Platinum,100,000 Multi-Platinum,200,000 copies The RIAA opposes unauthorized sharing of its music, studies conducted since the association began its campaign against peer-to-peer file-sharing have concluded that losses incurred per download range from negligible to moderate. The association has commenced high-profile lawsuits against file sharing service providers and it has also commenced a series of lawsuits against individuals suspected of file sharing, notably college students and parents of file sharing children

28.
Teen idol
–
A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan-base. Teen idols are generally young but not necessarily teenaged, often teen idols are actors or singers, but some sports figures and even political figures also have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as actors, like Leif Garrett, Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Raven-Symoné, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Hilary Duff. The idols popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups, many teen idols are targeted for adults for nostalgia purposes. With the advent of television, teen idols were also promoted through programs such as American Bandstand, The Ed Sullivan Show, todays teen idols have spawned an entire industry of gossip magazines, television shows, YouTube, and whole television channels such as E. Many American teen idols achieve cross-over success internationally, however, this list is not limited to American artists alone with some such as Japanese popstar Kusumi Koharu. Ha^Ash and RBD in the 2000s and 2010s, in Spain, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Miguel Bose, Mecano and Hombres G all enjoyed teen-idol status. Even in the music field, a British-Chinese violinist Vanessa-Mae became the first teen idol in that category. The kind of idolizing following Liszt drew in Europe would not be followed for several decades, geraldine Farrar, American opera singer, had a large following of young women nicknamed Gerry-flappers in the early 20th century. However, he claims that many males were also at his sold-out concerts. He was also possibly the first popular singer to have a vehicle created for him. Frank Sinatra, whose career is often linked to his appeal to bobby soxers, is also regarded as having been amongst the first teen idols. Even crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra were still considered idols, actors Edd Byrnes and Troy Donahue and other artists deliberately cultivated a idol image, like Paul Anka. Anka initially modelled himself on a generic type, the teen idol carried on the process. Of changing the image of male youth, from wild to mild, by providing a cleaner, more wholesome image of masculinity than that of the previous eras rebellious rockabilly heroes. Post-war teens were able to buy relatively inexpensive phonographs — including portable models that could be carried to friends houses —, rock music played on 45s became the soundtrack to the 1960s as people bought what they heard on the radio. Their parents worried about their attraction to artists who were edgy, faces on magazines fed fans, fans buy records, see films, watch TV and buy fashions. Marketing of the teen idol generally focuses on the image, the teen idol is structured to appeal to the pre-teen and young teen female pop audience member and children in general

29.
Dick Clark
–
Richard Augustus Wagstaff Dick Clark Jr. was an American radio and television personality, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting American Bandstand from 1957 to 1987. He also hosted the game show Pyramid and Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve, Clark was also well known for his trademark sign-off, For now, Dick Clark — so long. As host of American Bandstand, Clark introduced rock & roll to many Americans, the show gave many new music artists their first exposure to national audiences, including Ike and Tina Turner, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Talking Heads and Simon & Garfunkel. Episodes he hosted were among the first in which blacks and whites performed on the same stage, singer Paul Anka claimed that Bandstand was responsible for creating a youth culture. Due to his youthful appearance and his fame as the host of American Bandstand. In his capacity as a businessman, Clark served as Chief Executive Officer of Dick Clark Productions and he also founded the American Bandstand Diner, a restaurant chain modeled after the Hard Rock Cafe. In 1973, he created and produced the annual American Music Awards show, Clark suffered a stroke in December 2004. With speech ability still impaired, Clark returned to his New Years Rockin Eve show a year later on December 31,2005, subsequently, he appeared at the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006, and every New Years Rockin Eve show through the 2011–12 show. Clark died on April 18,2012 of an attack at the age of 82 following a medical procedure. Clark was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, to Richard Augustus Clark and his only sibling, older brother Bradley, was killed in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II. Clark attended A. B. Davis High School in Mount Vernon, at age 10, Clark decided to pursue a career in radio. In pursuit of that goal, he attended Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, graduating in 1951 with a degree in advertising, while at Syracuse, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. In 1945, Clark began his working in the mailroom at WRUN, an AM radio station in Rome, New York. Almost immediately, he was asked to fill in for the vacationing weatherman, while attending Syracuse, Clark worked at WOLF-AM, then a country music station. After graduation, he returned to WRUN for a time where he went by the name Dick Clay. After that, Clark got a job at the television station WKTV in Utica and his first television-hosting job was on Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders, a country-music program. He would later replace Robert Earle as a newscaster, Clark was principal in pro broadcasters operator of 1440 KPRO in Riverside, California, from 1962 to 1982. In the 1960s, he was owner of KGUD AM/FM in Santa Barbara, in 1952, Clark moved to Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, where he took a job as a disc jockey at radio station WFIL, adopting the Dick Clark handle

30.
Grammy Award
–
A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an honor awarded by The Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the mainly English-language music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Emmy Awards, the Tony Awards. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4,1959, to honor, following the 2011 ceremony, The Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012. The 59th Grammy Awards, honoring the best achievements from October 2015 to September 2016, was held on February 12,2017, the Grammys had their origin in the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the 1950s. The music executives decided to rectify this by creating a given by their industry similar to the Oscars. This was the beginning of the National Academy of Recording Arts, after it was decided to create such an award, there was still a question of what to call it, one working title was the Eddie, to honor the inventor of the phonograph, Thomas Edison. They finally settled on using the name of the invention of Emile Berliner, the gramophone, for the awards, the number of awards given grew and fluctuated over the years with categories added and removed, at one time reaching over 100. The second Grammy Awards, also held in 1959, was the first ceremony to be televised, the gold-plated trophies, each depicting a gilded gramophone, are made and assembled by hand by Billings Artworks in Ridgway, Colorado. In 1990 the original Grammy design was revamped, changing the traditional soft lead for a stronger alloy less prone to damage, Billings developed a zinc alloy named grammium, which is trademarked. The trophies with the name engraved on them are not available until after the award announcements. By February 2009,7,578 Grammy trophies had been awarded, the General Field are four awards which are not restricted by genre. Album of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a full album if other than the performer. Record of the Year is awarded to the performer and the team of a single song if other than the performer. Song of the Year is awarded to the writer/composer of a single song, Best New Artist is awarded to a promising breakthrough performer who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording that establishes the public identity of that artist. The only two artists to win all four of these awards are Christopher Cross, who won all four in 1980, and Adele, who won the Best New Artist award in 2009 and the other three in 2012 and 2017. Other awards are given for performance and production in specific genres, as well as for other such as artwork. Special awards are given for longer-lasting contributions to the music industry, the many other Grammy trophies are presented in a pre-telecast Premiere Ceremony earlier in the afternoon before the Grammy Awards telecast

31.
Elvis Presley
–
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is referred to as the King of Rock and Roll. Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis and his music career began there in 1954, when he recorded a song with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a popularizer of rockabilly. RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, Presleys first RCA single, Heartbreak Hotel, was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. He was regarded as the figure of rock and roll after a series of successful network television appearances. In November 1956, Presley made his debut in Love Me Tender. In 1958, he was drafted into military service, in 1973, Presley featured in the first globally broadcast concert via satellite, Aloha from Hawaii. Several years of drug abuse severely damaged his health. Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century and he won three Grammys, also receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36, and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. Presley was born on January 8,1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Love and Vernon Elvis Presley, Jesse Garon Presley, his identical twin brother, was delivered stillborn 35 minutes before his own birth. Thus, as a child, Presley became close to both parents and formed an especially close bond with his mother. The family attended an Assembly of God, where he found his musical inspiration. Although he was in conflict with the Pentecostal church in his later years, rev. Rex Humbard officiated at his funeral, as Presley had been an admirer of Humbards ministry. Presleys ancestry was primarily a Western European mix, including Scots-Irish, Scottish, German, gladyss great-great-grandmother, Morning Dove White, was possibly a Cherokee Native American. Gladys was regarded by relatives and friends as the dominant member of the small family, Vernon moved from one odd job to the next, evincing little ambition. The family often relied on help from neighbors and government food assistance, the Presleys survived the F5 tornado in the 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak. In 1938, they lost their home after Vernon was found guilty of kiting a check written by the landowner, Orville S. Bean and he was jailed for eight months, and Gladys and Elvis moved in with relatives

32.
Billy Joe Royal
–
Billy Joe Royal was an American pop and country singer. His most successful record was Down in the Boondocks in 1965, born in Valdosta, Georgia to Clarence Royal and Mary Sue Smith, and raised in Marietta, Georgia, Royal performed at the Georgia Jubilee in Atlanta during his teens. He was a friend of performer and songwriter Joe South, the recording was heard at Columbia Records, who offered Royal a singing contract in 1965 and released his version of the song, produced by South. Down in the Boondocks remained his best-known song, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and he followed up his initial success with the singles I Knew You When and Hush, also written and produced by Joe South. Another South composition, Yo-Yo, just missed the top 40 in Canada and charted poorly in the U. S. when Royal released it in 1967 and his 1969 single, Cherry Hill Park, peaked at No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the 1970s his recording of Hearts Desire gained popularity among Northern soul enthusiasts and was played in Northern soul nightclubs. By the late 1970s, Royal had become a performer in Las Vegas. His last hit on the US pop charts was in 1978, however, he reinvented himself in the 1980s as a mainstream country star, and had his first hit on the country music chart in 1984 with Burned Like a Rocket, released on the Atlantic label. His other country hits included Ill Pin a Note on Your Pillow, Tell It Like It Is and his successes on the country charts continued until the early 1990s. Royal experienced a comeback during the 2000s due to regular airplay on oldies radio stations. His music was further exposed to younger generations through a movement known as The Beat Army, Royal continued to tour regularly, performing concerts at casinos, music festivals, and clubs in North America, Japan, and throughout Europe. His set lists included a mixture of songs representing multiple genres from the 1960s onwards and he also played Robert Ally in the indie Western film Billy the Kid, co-starring country singer Cody McCarver. Royal died in his sleep on October 6,2015 in Morehead City, Billy Joe Royal Official Website Billy Joe Royal Official MySpace site Billy Joe Royal biography at Allmusic website Fansite biography

33.
Hank Locklin
–
Lawrence Hankins Hank Locklin was an American country music singer-songwriter. Locklin was one of country musics early honky tonk singers and he first recorded for Royalty, a small label in northeast Texas, but soon moved to 4 Star Records, a regional country music label, before signing a long contract with RCA Victor. He had an estimated 15 million record worldwide and his songs were recorded by many other artists, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Roy Rogers, Dwight Yoakam. He regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry beginning in 1960, Locklin had 70 chart singles, including six No. Locklins biggest hits included Send Me the Pillow You Dream On, Geisha Girl and his signature Please Help Me, Im Falling, billboards 100th anniversary issue listed it as the second most successful country single of the rock and roll era. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA, other hits for Locklin included Happy Journey, Happy Birthday To Me and The Country Hall Of Fame. Born in McLellan in the Florida Panhandle, Locklin grew up working in the fields to supplement his family’s low income. He began playing the guitar at the age of nine after being injured by a school bus. His first marriage to Willa Jean Murphy ended in divorce, in 1970 he married Anita Crooks of Brewton, Alabama. He had a son and four daughters,12 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, in the 1960s, Locklin built a ranch house called The Singing L in the field in McClellan where he had picked cotton as a boy. He was later made the mayor of the town. Locklin had a following in Europe, especially in Ireland. His popularity was such that in 1963 he recorded an album called Irish Songs Country Style and he has a fan club in Langeli, Bjerkreim, Norway. The obituary in The Times described Locklin as the last remaining link between country music’s hillbilly roots and the lusher, modern pop sound of Nashville. In 2006, Locklin appeared on the PBS special, Country Pop Legends in which he performed Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On, until his death at the age of 91 in 2009, he was the oldest living member of the Grand Ole Opry. Hank had recently released his 65th album, By the Grace of God and he moved to Brewton, where he remained throughout his later years, and died there at home in the early morning on March 8,2009. In 2007 he was inducted to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, aLove Song for You peaked at No.29 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada. In The Encyclopedia of Country Music, CMT. com, Hank Locklin at CMT. com Hank Locklin at the Internet Movie Database

34.
Hank Williams
–
Hiram King Hank Williams, was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Mount Olive, Butler County, Alabama, Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, Payne had a major influence on Williams later musical style, along with Roy Acuff and Ernest Tubb. During this time, Williams informally changed his name to Hank and he moved to Montgomery, where he began his music career in 1937, when producers at radio station WSFA hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed as backup the Drifting Cowboys band, which was managed by his mother, Williams eventually married Audrey Sheppard, who was his manager for nearly a decade. After recording Never Again and Honky Tonkin with Sterling Records, he signed a contract with MGM Records, in 1947 he released Move It on Over, which became a hit, and also joined the Louisiana Hayride radio program. One year later, he released a cover of Lovesick Blues, after an initial rejection, Williams joined the Grand Ole Opry. He was unable to read or notate music to any significant degree, among the hits he wrote were Your Cheatin Heart, Hey, Good Lookin, and Im So Lonesome I Could Cry. Several years of pain, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse severely damaged Williams health. He divorced Sheppard and was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry because of his unreliability, Williams died on New Years Day of 1953 at the age of 29, from heart failure exacerbated by pills and alcohol. Despite his short life, Williams had a influence on 20th-century popular music. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by artists and have been hits in various genres. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, such as the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Williams was born in Butler County, Alabama, the son of Jessie Lillybelle Lillie and his parents married on November 12,1916. Hank Williams was of English ancestry, Elonzo Williams worked as an engineer for the railroads of the W. T. Smith lumber company. He was drafted during World War I, serving from July 1918 until June 1919 and he was severely injured after falling from a truck, breaking his collarbone and suffering a severe blow to the head. After his return, the familys first child, Irene, was born on August 8,1922, another son of theirs died shortly after birth. Their third child, Hiram, was born on September 17,1923, in Mount Olive. Since Elonzo Williams was a Mason, and his wife was a member of Order of the Eastern Star the child was named after Hiram I of Tyre, as a child, he was nicknamed Harm by his family and Herky or Poots by his friends

35.
Willie Nelson
–
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American musician, singer, songwriter, author, poet, actor, and activist. He was one of the figures of outlaw country, a subgenre of country music that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has involved in activism for the use of biofuels. Born during the Great Depression, and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven, during high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from school in 1950, he joined the Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music, during this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in Honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote Family Bible, in 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey, during that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including Funny How Time Slips Away, Hello Walls, Pretty Paper, and Crazy. In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Prices band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album. And Then I Wrote, due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, the ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters. In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the acclaimed album. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted, the Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. In 1990, Nelsons assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, the difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes, Wholl Buy My Memories, the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelsons assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television

36.
Ernest Ashworth
–
Ernest Bert Ashworth was an American country music singer and broadcaster and longtime Grand Ole Opry star. Born Ernest Bert Ashworth in Huntsville, Alabama on December 15,1928, in 1949, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he worked for several radio stations and was signed by Wesley Rose as a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music. Among the artists who recorded his songs between 1949 and 1955 were Jimmy Dickens, Carl Smith, Johnny Horton and Paul Anka. Success as a recording artist eluded him, however, and in 1957 he returned to Huntsville and began working at the US Armys Redstone Arsenal, three years later, Rose arranged a recording contract for him with Decca Records. Billed as Ernest Ashworth, his first single, Each Moment, later that year, You Can’t Pick A Rose In December went into the Top Ten, and in 1961, Forever Gone reached the Top 20. In 1962, Ashworth moved to Hickory Records, owned by Acuff-Rose, and he scored a Top Five hit with Everybody But Me, but it was his third release for Hickory that became a smash hit and his signature song. Talk Back Trembling Lips hit number one and stayed on the country chart for 42 weeks. Voted Most Promising Male Artist by Cashbox, Billboard and Record World magazines in 1963 and 1964, more chart records followed including The D. J. Cried, At Ease Heart and I Love To Dance With Annie, Ashworth continued to be a regular performer at the Opry, but he never had a record to match the success of Talk Back Trembling Lips. Ernie also owned a station in Flomaton, Alabama. In 1989, he purchased radio station WSLV in Ardmore, Tennessee, in 1992, Ashworth was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. In 2008, Ernie was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame, throughout his career he achieved many awards and inductions into Halls of Fame across the United States Notes APeaked at No.1 on Bubbling Under Hot 100. All singles from I Wish onward credited to Ernie Ashworth, in The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Official website Ernie Ashworth at CMT Ernest Ashworth at Allmusic Ernie Ashworth at the Grand Ole Opry